


On A Saturday Night

by borntosik



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 16:05:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6711886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/borntosik/pseuds/borntosik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rae is tired of not having any man around her, so after thinking what’s the best option for her, she decides to join a matching chat where she meets Oasis79.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Username: Earl35.” She types on the first gap. “Age? 35.” She bites her bottom lip, seethes and keeps writing the rest of the information the web needs. “Location: Stamford, Lincolnshire.” 

It's embarrassing being in a web like this, she thinks. She doesn't even know why she's doing it. Well, she does. But it's Chloe's and Izzy's fault, not hers.

“Looking for:” She reads and opens the new tab with multiple choices. _Friendship, Romance, Distance relationship, Chatting, Flirting, Family..._

She clicks on the option of Friendship, Chatting and Romance. Especially the last one. The most important. She feels quite embarrassed of applying to this kind of web. And the price for it, was quite expensive for her necessities.

Rachel Earl, at the age of 35, and she still haven't got a solid boyfriend. Of course not. She's not the type of woman men tend to like. She had been dumped 6 years ago by Liam, her last boyfriend and they had been together for 4 years. Imagine when the relationship ended... Rachel didn't feel good for a long time. Her friends had been there, although Rae didn't find the love again. Cupid was playing well his cards towards her. 

Going out with Chloe and Izzy is not the same anymore. The topics have changed through the years. They could spend days and nights talking about their sex lives and how hot and fit men were in the pub. Now, the main topics are their babies and how their nipples were changing because of the breast-feeding. Her friends have changed, and so has she.

Her only worries were not drinking enough alcohol in one night, or putting a condom on the man's penis, or even pay the bills of that house she couldn't afford. Now, the only thing she thinks is men. Not in a sexual way but in a romantically way. She's tired of sleeping with other men because she can't find someone who loves her as a woman. Sex is always good, but she can't stand having some man sleeping on her other side of her bed without thinking he just wanted her body. So she's always kicking them out.

_“When are you gonna introduce us a boyfriend, Rae?” Asks Chloe with a shrug in her face. She's always like that. Rae knows she doesn't do it in a bad way, but she wants to see her best friend be happy for once._

_“When I find him.” She drinks some of her vodka, avoiding her friend's stare._

_“Don't worry. He'll come without you realising. You'll see...” Izzy winks at her, giving her best smile, although it's not her true one because of the amount of alcohol she had on her little body._

_They've not been drinking too much. They're too old to go and drink whatever they want on a club. They have responsibilities now. The smaller ones have their family formed. Rae... Rae has her little puppy waiting for her at home. Her beautiful Pomeranian called Weaven._

_“I'm just tired of waiting. Maybe he won't come... Maybe my last chance was Liam and here I am, feeling like shit about it.”_

_“Don't think about that wanker anymore, Rae. He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve you.” Chloe finishes her drink, giving Rae a gaze that could kill the most wanted killer in the country._

_Moments later, when she's coming home after her girls’ night in The Swan, she lays on her bed. Thinking. About everything. Anything. She grabs her laptop because she has work to do, despite the time it is. 10.30pm. She doesn't want to go to sleep yet, so she opens Youtube and puts some good tunes on while reading some of the papers from the mental home she works in. Then, she sees it. The advertisement. Meetic._

“About Me...” She puts her cheek against one of her hands, keeping herself stand to the desk. “Hello! I'm Rae, as in Rachel. I'm from Stamford, Lincolnshire and I've recently turned into 35.” She bites her nails, thinking about something interesting about her. She can't find anything. Good. 

She decides to upload a picture on her profile while she thinks on something to put in order to describe herself. She revises all of her pic files, when she finds the right photography. It's one that she's smiling. She's with Izzy, holding her by her hip. She cuts the picture so it only shows her body and uploads it. It doesn't look as good as with Izzy, but it will do. She doesn't look really well right now to take a picture with her webcam. The boys will have to wait for a nicer picture for a couple of days. 

She comes back to the text part, typing things quickly so she can't read anything and change whatever she writes. 

“I'm a brunette girl waiting for the man of her dreams. The centurion type of lad. (You're not supposed to laugh until I tell you what's the funny thing about it. Wanna find out? Haha) I enjoy listening to music the most. I can spend all my days listening to a great band. No mainstream music, though.” 

She has to avoid her past with Liam and her problems with the mental home, too.

“What I'm looking for... I'm not the kind of girl who falls in love easily. So, good conversation and friendship is a must. And if you're looking for the hottie girl, you're in the wrong profile.”

She's tired of faking. She's been lying before in order to get a boy in her life. But she doesn't do that anymore. She has to find the right man, and he must love her for who she is, not what she pretends to be. 

Now that her profile is good enough for her, she goes and check what the web is about. It has this extensive list with preferences, in case Rae wants a younger man, or older, or that leaves near or far away from her. Some pictures appear on it, too. She checks some of the profiles, shrugging her eyebrows after watching some men profiles and their ugly faces. Some of them completely bald, other with enormous bellies (Probably because of the amount of beer they drink)... But some of them are good, too. There is this blond man. He wears glasses. Black ones. She clicks on it, reading his whole profile and then, she sees it. His preferences: Men. Homosexual relationship. 

She closes the tab furiously, standing up and going to the kitchen. She grabs a glass, pouring some red wine on it. She comes back to her room, sitting in the chair and staring at the screen. She drinks some of her wine, checking some more profiles. _Barney. 36 years old. Lincolnshire._ She reads his profile, reading some of his hobbies are similar to hers. They both like the same sort of music. Preferences: Women. Men. Open relationship. 

Fantastic, she thinks. 

She's not gonna chat with someone that wants an open relationship. She's not going through the same as Liam. Ever. The open relationship is just an excuse for men to say they love them but they need to meet other people as, you pay the bills like a fool meanwhile he's _fooling_ around.

Half an hour later, she can't find someone interesting to talk, so she thinks the best choice for a Saturday night is watching a film while she eats a bowl full or popcorn. All of it for herself. Yes. It's the perfect plan. She then picks a film from the shelf in the living room, putting the DVD on the DVD player and waits until the menu it's on. She puts some popcorn in the microwave and sits on the sofa, waiting for them to be ready. Afterwards, she comes back to the sofa with the bowl under her lap and presses play. The opening credits are playing when she remembers she had left her glass of wine in her bedroom, so she stands up and goes for it. That's when she sees it. A blue (+1) number on the top of the website. She grabs the laptop and goes back to the sofa. She sits, putting the computer on her lap and holding the wine on the other, and goes to open the message.

_'What was that centurion thing, girl? ;)'_

Rae laughs, typing fast in her keyboard. 

_'Do you really wanna know? Because it's for +18...'_

Rae waits. He's typing.

_'I definitely wanna know, now.'_

She laughs again and drinks some of her wine.

_'Don't you think I need a few things about you before telling you my stuff?'_

_'What do you want to know about me, Rachel?'_

_'Rae...'_

_'Rae?'_

_'I prefer if you call me Rae...'_

_'Oh. That makes us mates, then... :)'_

She bites her lips, taking a deep breath before replying him again.

_'What's your name... Oasis79?'_

_'_ _I'll let you choose my name, Rae... :)'_

_'Don't be silly... c'mon. Tell me. We're mates now. You said it.'_

_'Alright... Just because. It's Finn.'_

_'Nice name'_

_'Thanks'_

So what now? Thanks? That's definitely the end of the conversation. What is she supposed to answer? There is not answer to a thanks. In case she answers 'You're welcome'...

_'Why don't you upload more pictures of yourself? I'm tired of looking at the only one you have here...'_

What? That's something she completely didn't expect to happen. She finishes her wine and puts some more on the glass, looking for some pictures on her computer. She looks the ugliest one in 90% of them.

_'I don't have any, sorry x)'_

_'Take one now, then...'_

She bites the inside of her cheek, eating some of the cold popcorn she had left on the sofa.

_'_ _Why are you so interested, huh?'_

_'I can't think properly with just that one... ;)'_

Rae furrows an eyebrow, closing the folder with her pictures of herself. She was about to send him a picture, but now she's definitely not gonna do that. What does he think he's doing?

_'If what you're looking for is a picture so you can wank you off, there's plenty of porn on the Internet.'_

_'You're much more interesting...'_

She's gonna close the chat. Or find someone else less... interested in herself. Or other bits. She leaves the computer on her side and presses play so she can restart again the film. She hears a few beeps coming from the speakers of the laptop, but she ignores them. A few minutes later, the beeps are ringing Rae's ears again, so she decides to open the chat and see what has happened.

(+2) 

Oasis 79:

_'Rae? Are you there?'_

_'Hey! Did I say something to upset you? That's not what I meant. Just... joking, right? You seem a nice girl. Please... pleeeease... Talk to me :('_

Rae reads the new messages three times, deciding if answering him is the best decision. She takes a glimpse of the watch on the top of the shelf. 12.14am on a Saturday night and she doesn't have anything else to do.

_'Do you promise you're not any kind of a pervert?'_

_'What? A pervert? Do I look like a pervert???'_

Actually, she haven't seen any of his pictures yet. She's been quite interested in his words that she has forgotten to check his profile.

**Oasis79.**

Rae reads some bits of his profile, reading some bits like where he is from. Stamford. Wow. Then, cool stuff like he's an Oasis lover and how he had fun in Knebworth when he was young. He still follows Noel Gallagher, because he really is a true fan. And Rae goes to check his pictures. _Oh Holy Lord Jesus Christ._ Where has this lad been hiding? He's gorgeous! It's impossible this embodiment of horn is from Stamford. No way!

She replies right away.

_'No. Definitely not... ;)'_

_'Have you peep my pictures?'_

_'Just a little...'_

_'Then...'_

_'Then...?'_

_'Do I look good?'_

Rae takes a sip of her wine, trying to stop the laughter that escape from her lips. She opens his profile on another tab and checks again his pictures. There are a few ones with friends, but he'd make sure to indicate who he is. It's not a necessary thing, as you can see him in the next ones. He has kind of a blonde hair colour. It mixes with a bit of brown, though. And he has a nice stubble. Men always look better with a stubble. The one without shaving in a few days... They look... sexier?

Rae bites her bottom lip, revising the next pictures, forgetting her inbox is with a new message. His pictures are keeping her busy. He's gorgeous! There is this photograph about him, smiling... He's like a child. He has a child face. He has some freckles around his nose and his eyebrows are quite interesting too.

_'Rachel...?'_

_'Sorry. I was... Nah. Forget it. Do you play the guitar?'_

_'So you're peeping on my pictures... That's why you're not answering... I see...'_

_'I'M NOT PEEPING HAHA'_

_'Don't lie to me...'_

_'I wasn't...'_

_'Before'_

_'And now.'_

_'Liar... ;)'_

She bites the tip of her tongue, grinning after reading the last message. It sounded a bit desperate, though. The thing about signing up on a webpage like that and chatting with the first lad that speaks to her. But she's now in her Middle Thirties and she has to find a boyfriend. Or someone available for sporadical sex. She's tired of having sex with just herself...

_'Okay. I was.'_

_You were what?'_

_'Peeping...'_

_'See... you don't have to lie to me, Rachel...'_

_'Rae'_

_'Rae... alright'_

She needs to, no. She HAS to catch the attention of Finn. It is true that it's the first man that speaks to her through the chat, and she's not sure why. She's not the kind of type of every man in the world. She's not skinny (not like those barbies skinny girls in their 20s), but she doesn't have a flat belly. And her tits are bloody enormous. And she's not the small kind of girl... quite the opposite one.

She comes back again to the keyboard and types a few words quickly, pressing on the sending key.

_'Can... Can I ask you a question?'_

_'Whatever you like, girl'_

_'Why... why did you speak to me in the first place?'_

_'What do you mean?'_

_'I mean like... I've signed up a few hours ago... Almost two, exactly. How did you choose my profile?'_

_'Well... There is this selection thing where you can find people by their interests... You're a 90 girl, aren't you? :)'_

She tries to erase her insecurities out of her mind and answer with her self-confidence. It's time to put the Rae's armour and be funny and cheeky. There is not room for the bad thoughts of herself in this conversation.

_'I am, boy ;)'_

_'Boy?'_

_'Yeah...'_

_'Are you gonna call me boy from now on?'_

_'Yeah...'_

_'I see...'_

Rae opens Spotify, searching for something nice to play and leaving the film she had been watching, playing in the background. She presses play on her 90s playlist and, instantly, Saturday Night form Suede sounds through the speakers.

_'Guess what I'm listening right now'_

_'Don't tell me it's the Spice Girls...'_

_'Nooooo c'mon. Guess...'_

_'Oasis?'_

_'What makes you think I'm listening to Oasis? Haha'_

_'I dunno... Just guessing by my nickname? :)'_

_'Noooo it's a lot easier than tha'_

_'You'll have to tell me, girl, cause i'm blotto'_

_'How much?'_

_'Couple of pints...'_

_'And...'_

_'My mates and I went to the pub this afternoon. Y'know how it goes... Pint after pint...'_

_'God bless the Swan'_

_'You go there, too?'_

_'What? It's the only decent place in here... At least, it has a jukebox with cool and old music...'_

_'We should meet up, one day. What do u think girl? :)'_

She swallows, blinking her eye shadows and staring at the screen. Meeting up?

_'What about next Saturday?'_

NEXT SATURDAY?

' _I don't have any plans... Do you have any?'_

She has met this boy an hour ago. Now, he's asking her out? With Liam, everything went slowly... Maybe it is the right thing to do nowadays. Chloe used to go out with boys even the same day that the met... She could try. If not, she could run away because it was going to be in Stamford.

_'Meet up?'_

_'Yeah'_

_'What for?'_

_'Knowing you... better :)'_

_'The smiley face looks a bit creepy in here haha'_

_'I'M. NOT. A. PERVERT. I swear hahaha'_

_'No. Definitely...'_

_'So...?'_

_'So what?'_

_'Will you go on a date with me?'_

_'…'_

WHAT? A DATE?

_'I don't even know you ????'_

_'You'll know me when you see me ;)'_

_'Now I'm really thinking you're a psychopath or something...'_

_'Where do you get that from, girl? Haha'_

_'I'm fan #1 of Sherlock, baby.'_

He doesn't say anything, after that. Maybe he is one of those men that chat with girls on the Internet, they meet and then, they rape the girls or kill them or something like that.

_'We could see each other... Another time...'_

_'When will it be, huh?'_

_'Soon...'_

_'The word soon coming from a Sherlock fan doesn't look good. You know that?'_

_'I need to assure myself you're a decent lad. I'm not going on dates with the first man who comes in front of me... or messages me :)'_

_'Ah, so you're that kind of girl... Okay.'_

_'You must earn that date, boy ;)'_

_'Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, isn't it?'_

_'That's how it's going to be ;)'_

Those were the last words they’ve spoken last week. Now, it’s next Saturday. Rae comes from Chloe’s house after meeting some friends of her husband. Chloe has told her Joe is really interested in her. The blonde has told him nice and cool stuff about her best friend. But she’s not interested. He’s handsome, yeah, but not her type. All he speaks about is his passion about food and sports, things that Rae hates the most. Obviously.

She lets herself fall over the mattress of the queen’s bed in her bedroom and grabs her computer. What will Oasis79 be doing right now? It’s been a week since their last conversation. She hasn’t had time to chat. Tons of work in the office and the weekend is now her moment to relax. It has been a stressful day. Her best mate had called her for a shopping day as she wanted a nice dress for a date with her husband. Rae, who always pleases Chloe, had accepted.

Today is a bit late. 12.34 am. She shouldn’t take a look at her laptop, but she doesn’t want to go to sleep yet. Like her last weekend, she opens the chat tab, logging in her account. No messages, although he is online. She can see it. It appears a green circle on one side of his nickname.

_‘Mr. Handsome doesn’t have any plans tonight? :)’_

She hopes she gets an answer. She had a long and tired day and she just wants to have fun a little bit.

_‘I’m afraid no Miss Rae :)’_

She smiles widely after reading her new message. He doesn’t have plans. That means she can speak to him for a bit.

_‘Can I get to know why…?’_

She waits patiently his response. After a minute waiting, he haven’t answered yet, so she stands up and leaves the bedroom, going to the kitchen and opening the fridge. She opens a can of Foster’s and comes back to the room.

_‘I thought I could go out with someone, but she said no. Can you believe she turned me off by saying I might be a psychopath? Unbelievable…’_

She laughs hard, covering her mouth with the palm of her hand and types her answer on the keyboard.

_‘I can’t believe it… And what did you say? O:’_

_‘That I wasn’t!! Of course!’_

_‘It’s obvious you’re not…’_

She drinks some of her beer, making herself comfortable in the bed, putting the laptop over her legs.

_‘And you? What are you doing here?’_

_‘Just having some fun while taking the piss outta perverts in here… ;) hahahaha’_

_‘You’re mean…’_

_‘No, I’m not *¬*’_

_‘Don’t put me that face…’_

_‘Why not?’_

_‘You didn’t answer my question yet…’_

_‘Long day…’_

_‘Tell me’_

Rae bites her lips, staring for a long seconds the screen.

_‘Long week. So much work, you know? And today my friend called me asking for a shopping day… And intense one. She planned all that so I could go to her place afterwards. The thing is that she had planned a dinner with her husband’s friends and I was there… Like… Like I was there to meet new people. Y’kno?’_

_‘I think I know… hahahaha’_

_‘Don’t laugh at me you dickhead’_

_‘Oi! As if I was that close to you...’_

_‘Well, the main point of this is that she wanted to introduce me to this bloke that talks bullshit. It was an awful and boring evening. And now... here I am. Talking to you…’_

_‘It looks like I’m your plan Z…………’_

_‘Oh, I didn’t mean… no. You’re not Z or anything…’_

_‘I’m kidding you dickhead ;)’_

_‘And here I am…’_

She stands up for a second time, undressing herself while keeping her eyes on the screen where _Oasis79 is typing…_ letters are. She grabs her nightdress and puts it on. She unbuttons her jeans and reads the new message.

_‘Where?’_

_‘My bed’_

_‘Doing what, exactly?’_

She reddens instantly, throwing her jeans to the chair against the wall on the other side of the room and sits back again on top of the bed, writing quickly in the messaging box.

_‘What takes you so long??? Raeeee! Racheeel! Come baaack!!’_

‘ _Talking to you?? You perv… hahahaha’_

_‘Where were you??’_

She takes off the socks and taking off her bra too.

_‘Wearing my pajamas. Hold on.’_

She grabs clean knickers from the bedside table and goes to the bathroom to clean herself up. She applies cream on her face and comes back to the bedroom, getting into the bed.

_‘WHAT?’_

_‘You can’t pretend saying to me you’re getting naked while speaking to me.’_

_‘Oh girl, and not answering is not a good idea.’_

_‘You know it’s really mean what you’ve done? That’s not something you do to a lad, girl’_

_‘I hate you’_

What is this?, Rae thinks. Is he mad? She lets escape a big laughter, reading a few times his last messages.

_‘Jealous, boy? :P’_

_‘Don’t…’_

_‘What…?’_

_‘I have a lot of imagination, y’know?’_

_‘Uh… That doesn’t look good in a decent boy…’_

She doesn’t stop giggling while still speaking with him. Rae hadn’t spoken in that tone for years… She doesn’t even remember the last time she had that kind of conversation with a man. Not even with Liam, her ex.

_‘Do you wanna see me? :P’_

_‘YES I FUCKIN DO GIRL’_

_‘Pity this doesn’t have the webcam option :(‘_

_‘Are you messing with me?’_

_‘No…’_

_‘You know wanking off with porn is not the same, don’t ya?’_

_‘You pervert boy… hahaha’_

_‘Don’t ya?’_

_‘Stop it'_

_‘Now I reaaaaally want to see you’_

_‘No way!’_

She blushes meanwhile the conversation is getting hot.

_‘I thought about what you suggested the other day, but now it’s definitely a no.’_

_‘What do you mean?’_

_‘The date. Going out with you on a date. We wouldn’t even pass the door’s restaurant because of you…’_

_‘So you’re thinking about it… Interesting’_

_‘No, I’m not. Not now.’_

_‘Liar…’_

_‘I’m not a liar, you dickhead’_

_‘C’mon. We’ll have fun together. Just a night out.’_

_‘Promise you won’t try to get under my knickers? Haha’_

_‘I CAN’T PROMISE YOU THAT!!!!’_

_‘SO YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT IT… Interesting’_

_‘Don’t copy what I’m saying!!’_

_‘:P’_

_‘Saturday then?’_

_‘Next week?’_

_‘That’s what I’m saying…’_

_‘… okay’_

_‘Really?’_

She types a simple _yes_ on the keyboard, without sending it. If she sends it, she can’t change her mind. She will go out with him. Not that she doesn’t want to… because God knows she really wants to, though... Going out with a stranger…

Rae presses the enter button, closing her eyes in the process without wiping the smile off her face.

‘ _Yes._ ’


	2. Chapter 2

She grabs the sides of her new dress and tries to put it back in its place. It’s too short for her big thighs. She shouldn’t have told Chloe she had a date. She did the same, like last week. Going shopping and picking the better dresses. Now it’s her who’s paying the consequences of wearing a dress that doesn’t fit her curves.

She walks the last few steps until she pulls in the door of the restaurant. The hall is full of old people; some of them knew Rae since she was a child. Some of others don’t. A maître waits behind a small table, holding a book in his hands.

“Good evening, Miss.”

“Hello. I… eh… I’m meeting with someone in here.”

“Okay. Did you book a place in our restaurant or…?”

“Oh, no. My friend did. His name is Finn. We were supposed to meet here at 8.”

The maître checks the name on his book full of names, and nods at her.

“Please, follow me.”

She walks behind the old man all around the place, catching some glances of people she don’t know. Some families are there, celebrating what it seems a birthday. A couple of ancient people is probably celebrating some anniversary.  There is also a couple of young teenagers kissing in one of the corners. She smiles fondly at them, remembering she used to be that girl when she was with her ex. But this is not the time of remembering Liam. She’s now gonna meet someone else. Prettier. Hotter. And probably the fittest man in the restaurant.

The maître leaves her beside one small table and a blond man sitting on a chair in front of her. That’s when he stands up and turns around, impressing her with his white teeth hidden in between his big lips. She stares at him and smiles him back.

“You must be Rae…”

She nods and approaches him to give him a quick kiss on his cheek. He gives another one on the opposite cheek and walks towards the chair on the other side of their table. He holds in in his arms and waits until Rae sits in it. She can’t help but grab, again, the end of her dress. Those tight dresses are not her thing. He, then, goes back to his chair.

“Hello…” He says without stopping smiling.

“Hello…”

How is that possible? Two weeks ago, she didn’t even know him. And now, here she is. About to have a meal with him, although it’s not her favourite place in town. She had her first experience eating in front of people in the same restaurant. Almost 20 years ago.

“How are you, Rachel?”

“I’m okay… How are you?”

“I’m good.”

They both smile to each other. The menu is in front of them, so both Rae and Finn take it and read it in order to choose a meal.

Although they’ve been chatting for a few days, the first time is always the scariest. What will she think about me? What is he doing with his fingers? Why is she staring at him that way? Should I say something about our chat conversations? After that _‘Saturday then?’_ , more words were written in their private chat. Not only last Saturday, but the following day, Monday evening, Tuesday evening, Wednesday night, Thursday evening and, of course, Friday night.

Rae is obviously scared. She’s meeting someone that she doesn’t know, she just know that he likes 90s music, football, having a pint with his friends and nothing more. Their conversations haven’t been exactly… about them. Not about them, but _them_. Flirting messages in hours that children were in their 7 th dream, pictures taken in ways, angles and places they shouldn’t take pictures from…

“Have the lady and gentleman chosen what are they going to order?” One of the bartenders is there, in front of them, waiting for an answer.

“Yes!” He says first. “I’d like to order some beefsteak, please.” The bartender clicks something with the pen on the PDA and looks at Rae.

“And the lady?”

“A salad.”

Finn keeps an eye on her.

“Are you sure?”

She just nods a few times.

“Yeah. I don’t eat much at night…”

“For drinks, I suggest you our latest wine. Harvested in 1987.”

“Wine it is, then.” Finn says for the bartender to leave them alone so they can chat without worries. “So… Tell me about you, Rachel Earl…”

“Are you gonna call me Rachel all the evening?” She puts her elbow over the table, leaving her cheek against the palm of her hand.

“It’s your name…”

The bartender approaches the couple and shows Finn the bottle of wine. He tries and does his best to impress his girl, tasting the wine. He doesn’t really like wine, although it’s what he drinks on special days. Having a date with her made the day special. He shrugs and lets the man put some of the liquid in their glasses, and both take a sip. When the old man leaves, she lets escape a laugh from her lips.

“Do you like wine, Finn?”

“Not really…”

“That’s what I thought…” She laughs quietly again, giving the wine another sip.

“So…”

“So…?”

“We passed the restaurant door.” He states, licking his lips in a sexy way. She furrows her brows, not understanding what he’s trying to say.

“What d’you…?” But then she understands. “Oh. OH.” And she laughs again.

Without Rae noticing, he’s keeping her smile in his memory. It’s the first thing he sees about her. In her profile picture, she’s smiling. That’s why he chose her, really.

“I’m sure we wouldn’t if we’d have met somewhere else…” She drinks some of her wine, trying not to imagine what would have happened and where they would be if that was the real case.

“Rae…”

“Hm?” She raises her eyes to him, waiting for him to speak again.

“We’re mates, don’t we?”

She stands still, not expecting that question. Not at least that night.

“Yeah, ‘course we are.”

“Then…” He grabs the fork that is on his left and starts playing with it, distracting himself while he asks his new question. “Are you going to explain me what was the centurion thing?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Rae laughs loudly. “Should I tell you what that means? It’s a very personal question…”

“That makes it even better…”

“I don’t think you want to hear it…” She laughs again, drinking another sip of her drink and finishing it. Finn, watching in silence, grabs the bottle of wine and puts some more on her glass.

“Try me…”

“A few months ago, I grabbed that book in the library about… Let’s say… Lady stuff. You know what I mean? I read a few pages and I had to buy it. It was a prior necessity for my lady bits.” Finn stares intentionally at Rae, keeping her attention while she continues speaking about her adventures. “There is this part talking about Marcus Antonius and how good he made his woman feel… I kept imagining him dressed as a centurion. So…”

“Kind of a fantasy, right?”

“Exactly…” She drinks more wine, waiting for a better answer than that.

“I should have waited… until later.” He licks his own lips, smiling.

The bartender comes a few minutes later with their plates. He puts the salad in front of her and the meat on Finn’s side. He goes after a _‘Bon appétit’._

“Are you sure you’re gonna eat just a salad?” Finn asks her again, making sure she’s not starving herself.

“Maybe we could get some desert, later…” She bites her lips while saying that more to herself than to her partner, although Finn has heard everything and giggles. “So… Tell me a bit about you, _Finn_ …”

“What do you want to know?”

“I dunno… What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a mechanic. I work in my mate’s garage, actually…” He cuts a piece of his steak and keeps an eye on the inside, making sure it’s well cooked. He hates undercooked food.

“That sounds funny… working with your mates and stuff.”

“Yeah, it is.” He bites the piece of meat, watching her tasting a slice of tomato. “And you?”

“Well, I’ve had a long CV…”

“Tell me more…”

“I’ve always wanted to work in something related to music. Like, in a radio station or a music magazine…”

“THAT’S AMAZING!” Finn smiles happily at her, thinking of his own dreams when he was a teenager. He always wanted to work in a radio station, presenting a cool show with no crap fm.

“I wish, boy…” She gives a smile back, and continues her story. “When I finished college I was really scared of what I wanted to do, so I… asked… for some advice. I had quite a funny but hard journey during my youth. I thought Uni was the right path for me. I studied Sound Engineering for 3 years, but I quit.”

“You what?”

“It wasn’t my thing…”

“Then?”

“I’m working in the Stamford Mental Home.” The mood of the conversation changed when those 3 words were said. “I’m a psychiatrist.”

“But why… why did you stop studying something you liked?”

“It wasn’t the right thing to do…”

"Right..." Finn says nothing afterwards. He grabs a slice of bread and starts eating his meat again. The mood has changed in a matter of seconds, and he doesn't want to talk about mental institutions now, because this is a date. You don't talk about sad or serious problems in proper dates, do you? Of course not. "So... How long have you been living in Stamford, Rachel?"

"How long... I guess since my mum gave birth to me." She eats some lettuce, laughing at his obviousness.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I've never heard about you before... I didn't even see you around..."

"That's because I don't go around much... I tend to leave Stamford when I can..."

"So...You've studied here."

"Yep."

He smiles. That's better than mental home problems. He should keep it this way.

"And you say you're a year younger than me..."

"How old are you?"

"36."

"It's impossible I didn't know you... I mean, we were probably hanging out in college without knowing each other.

"Probably..."

"What's your name?"

"Rachel. Rachel Earl. And yours?" She grabs her glass full of wine and drinks more wine, staring at him with a smile, and waiting.

"Finn Nelson."

When she heard that name, loads of memories come to her mind. Loads of stares, of forbidden glances, of secrets, words kept to herself, lies to her best friend Chloe... She coughs loudly, putting a hand in her chest and trying to calm herself, as the wine had gone through the wrong way in her throat. Finn asks for water and the waiter does come quick, giving the glass to the lady.

"Are you okay, Rae?"

She nods, drinking almost all the water in the glass. She stares Finn for a long time, and she laughs. She laughs to herself because she didn't recognise him before. All those years fantasising with the hottest boy in college, and now she's having a date with him.

"What's wrong?" He says, following her laughter.

“Oh God!” She can’t stop laughing for a few more seconds, taking glimpses from Finn’s paranoid face. “You’re Finn Nelson.”

He furrows one of his brows, taking his eyes off her and looking to a plant at the end of the room.

“That’s what I said, yeah…” _Is it that weird? Is my name funny or something?_ Finn says to himself.

“I… God, I’m sorry.” She stops laughing for a second, and drinks more of her wine. “I just… I remember you. Like, I know who you are.”

“And?”

“Still can’t believe you’re Finn Nelson…” She starts eating again some of her salad. “We used to go to college together…”

Finn blinks repeatedly, drinking now his glass of wine.

“Oh, really?” He smiles at her, although he doesn’t remember much from those years. Sad memories come to his head. His Nan, his ex… He grabs the bottle of wine and pours more liquid in his wineglass and drinks it all in one shot. “Did we know each other?”

“Nah…”

“How’s that?”

“Well, you were _the fittest lad in college_ …”

“I… what?”

“That’s what they said…”

“That’s bollocks…”

“No, it’s not.” She starts rubbing the tip of her toes against one of his calves. She gives his a slyly smile, stealing one of his chips of his plate to feed herself.

“Oi!” What’s that for, exactly? He closes his legs, keeping her foot in between his tights and giving her back the same smile. “So… What was Rachel Earl doing in Stamford College by then?”

“Survive, I guess? As everybody else…” She still plays with her toes against his leg, taking the chance that she can’t sit properly with one of her feet begin risen from the floor.

“No boyfriend?” He asks, biting the tip of his tongue.

“No boyfriend. Not those years, though…”

“When, then?”

“Why do you wanna know?”

“I just… I just wanna talk about something…”

“Any girlfriend, then?”

“A few, yeah…” He lowers his face while hiding one of his sheepish smiles.

“You went out with Stacey, didn’t you?”

He raises his gaze to look at her.

“Yeah…”

Thinking about Stacey made him feel bad about himself. He had a rough time when he used to go out with her. Lot of stuff happened. Stuff that he wanted to keep in a vault. But his body isn’t going to cooperate tonight, not after the two beers he drank at home before coming to the restaurant and the amount of wine he’s already drunk.

“A proper slag, I’d say…”

That makes Rae laugh. And as he has said before, he likes make her laugh. She’s pretty when she’s laughing. And it’s not always about the looks. He has experienced that a million times. He’s gone out with loads of beautiful girls, but none of them make him feel anything. Almost 20 years ago, he thought he had found what it was going to be _the girl_. Yes. It’s the girl. The girl who was going to break his heart in a million pieces. That kind of girl she was. He’s not surprised now. She always wanted to have the best, and Finn was the best partner she could get. He used to be famous around the girls, and some boys in school too. He knows he was pretty, and she took advantage of that.

He had kind of a good relationship with her. They seemed like they were in love with each other. 3 years and 4 months of presents, travels, dates, kisses… Everything went fine until he found out she was sleeping with someone else. And he went mad, especially if the boy whose beneficiating your girlfriend is your best friend.

“Really?” She opened her mouth with an astonished expression in her face. “I didn’t… I didn’t know that…”

“Well, it happened after college, so…”

She tries to sit more comfortably on her chair, although Finn still keeps her leg in between his own and he smiles at her. He calls the waiter for the second time this night, ordering another bottle of wine. An older one.

“Do you still talk with your friend? After what happened?”

“With Macca? God, no. Archie made sure of that…” He smiles. He always smiles when he’s talking about Archie. He’s been friends with him since… Well, since forever. He’s his counsellor. “And you? You said you used to have a boyfriend…”

“Used to have…”

“Not anymore.”

“Not for now…”

“Right…”

And he smiles again. That girl makes him smile a lot. She’s not able to see it by herself, but you should have seen him at home. He’s always smiling when he’s talking with her. He doesn’t know her for long, but he likes her. He laughs at her jokes and he’s always aware of her stories with her friends.

“Liam.”

Liam?

“Hm?”

“Liam. He’s my ex.”

Liam… Liam… Who the fuck is Liam? He remembers someone called Liam, but he doesn’t remember the face.

“Do I…?”

“Liam, from college…”

Now, he remembers him. He had a break down in the middle of an English exam. He remembers him well. They weren’t friends before. He didn’t speak to him either, but they knew each other. People said he had gone to a mental home years before… People didn’t know why, but they knew he was mad.

“You went out with him?”

“Yep.” She nods, staring at the waiter that has brought them the new bottle of wine. She’s now the one who tastes it, and approves.

“Why?”

“We knew each other when we were at college… He used to work with me.” She bites one side of her mouth, biting her cheek and takes a deep breath.

“I didn’t like him… He seemed a bit weird, innit?”

“A complete weirdo, yeah.”

“So?”

“So?”

“What happened to the lovable couple?”

“Oh.” She laughs for the millionth time that night and answers quickly. “The lovable couple had to break up because he was seeing someone else. One of my patients…”

“Oh, another one like Stacey…”

“One of my teenage patients…” She answers again, just after him.

“Oh shit.”

“Indeed…” She takes with one hand the wineglass and drinks all of it, pouring some more in it afterwards. “But I don’t want to talk about it. No more embarrassment for today…”

“What do you want to talk about, Rachel?”

“Why do you keep calling me Rachel? I could call you… How was it? Finnley?” He nods while shrugging.

“I don’t mind. It’s my name…”

“And I’m Rae.”

“Rachel…”

“Rae…”

“I like Rachel…” He winks at her, grinning. “Maybe we should go… Don’t you think, Rachel?”

“Sure…” She nods at his proposal and grabs her purse that it’s been on her side of the table all night. “But first, I’m going to go to the toilet.”

She stands up and walks towards the toilet, leaving a smiley Finn waiting for her in their table. When she hits the ladies door, she watches herself on the big mirror in front of her. She checks her make-up is on its own place and she looks perfectly. She looks the same as before leaving home. But what now? She knows what they’re going to do. They’ve been chatting for two weeks and they’ve been… _chatting._ Talking about things…

Rae opens her small purse and checks she has two condoms on a small pocket inside the bag. She took them just in case… In case they had sex. And after watching how fit and beautiful and handsome Finn was, she is going for it. They were going to need a canoe and life jackets after the amount of sex they’re about to have. Yes.

Rae leaves the ladies and comes back to Finn, watching how he’s giving his credit card to the bartender of the place.

“What? No way. Let me pay my part, at least…”

“Nah, it’s alright…”

“But…”

Finn points at her with his index finger to shush her. She does. Then, she finishes her glass of wine and stands up at the same time as Finn.

“Shall we?”

“Yeah…”

The couple leaves the restaurant and decide to walk around a couple of streets down, not deciding where it’s their next destination.

“You didn’t have to pay for me, you know?”

“Don’t worry…”

“No, I feel bad about it… It’s our first meeting and you pay for the dinner… It’s like I’m poor or something…” She laughs to herself. She’s not poor, and he knows it. He knows where she works. Even if she didn’t see him again, she has told him. What would he do? Go there and kidnap her? She worked in a big flat full of journalists…

“You’ll invite me… next time…” He winks at her. _Again._ And it’s the sweetest and horniest thing in the world right now. Some wine in Rae’s veins and she’s all up for sexy fantasies with strangers… or friends from two weeks before.

“So… Is it going to be a next time?”

“Just if you want to…”

She looks down, hiding a cheeky smile and keeps walking until they’re on the same street where the restaurant is, just a few meters away.

“Do you wanna come to mine and drink the last one?” She raises her eyes to look at him and nods.

Finn shows her the way to his small flat a few streets away. They don’t have to walk too much, so it’s nice to Rae. She’s been thinking about her new and fancy shoes that are killing her. Finn brushes her fingers with its own, unconsciously. Or maybe not. They don’t talk too much about them while they walk through the Stamford streets at night.

They’re just talking about some of the business they find in their way, or how cold she feels now. And Finn takes his jacket to put it over her shoulders. She catches the sleeves and, without him noticing, she smells the odour of his jacket. And it smells good. Really good. CK One mixed with his personal odour…

“It’s here…”

She keeps an eye at the entrance and waits for him to open the door. Finn lets her in first and closes the door behind him. He approaches her to follow the stairs, because it’s only one door at the end of the corridor. He, then, opens his flat door with the keys and Rae comes in. She takes off his jacket and Finn puts it on a chair in the kitchen.

“What do you want to drink?” He yells from the kitchen. Rae lets her jacket and purse over the living room tea table and sits on the couch. “I have lager, coke, more wine… I think I have a bottle of vodka or whiskey somewhere…”

“A beer will be fine…” She answers. She makes herself comfortable on the sofa and waits until Finn comes back with two green bottles in his hands.

He sits on her side, handing her one of the bottles and he drinks almost half of the liquid inside in one go. Rae does the same.

They talk about random things. He tells her the big music collection he has and she doesn’t believe him. He tells her she should come round another time so he can show her. She agrees. She also has a big music collection, full of Blur, The Smiths and Oasis vinyl records. Because she still lives in the 90s. He nods and tells her she has good taste in that case.

Nothing else is said because the moment Rae wants to ask him for another beer, his lips are over hers. She kisses him back, forgetting about the music or any sort of conversation they had before. Now, the matter of the night is his mouth. His big lips kissing her. He holds her hand and takes her to his room. It’s a private place to take someone and Rae would have taken a look at everything if she wasn’t kissing and undressing him at the moment. He pushes her to his bedroom and unbuttons his fly and takes his shoes and socks off. He crawls over her body, taking her clothes off at the same time he tries and kisses every uncovered skin he finds.

That’s how they end up together, covered in green sheets and their hair tangled. Their conversation was over when they crossed the bedroom’s door. The things that could be heard by now are the moans, groans, body sounds, skin hitting against skin… Nothing more.

A second and third condom wrappings are flying around the bed. The headboard hits hard against the wall and, for their luck, no neighbours are going to disturb them from their activity. The night has been long for each other. A two hour sex session have knocked them down.

That’s when Rae’s expecting him to tell her to leave. But he doesn’t say anything. He just kisses her for the last time that night and closes his eyes.

 

 

 

 

Rae wakes up because of the shiny sun that comes from the window above her. She doesn’t have a window above her in her flat. She opens her eyes to see a sleepy Finn mumbling against the pillow. She leaves the bed and goes to the bathroom. She cleans her face and brushes her hair with the only brush she can find and she comes back to the bedroom. He’s still there, laying, but awake. He smiles fondly at her while she picks her clothes from around the bed.

“Have you seen my…?” She looks at him to ask him where her knickers are to find him biting one of the sides of her lingerie. She laughs at him and holds her hand for him to give her lingerie back.

He refuses and they go for a round four. But when they finish, Rae has to go. She asks for her clothes again and he gives up and hands her the underwear. When she’s fully dressed, she puts her shoes on and stares at him from the bottom of the bed.

“Will I see you again?” He says, pouting with his bottom lip.

“I now know where you live.” She says while winking him an eye. She leaves him there, naked in his own bed and grinning to himself.

 

 


End file.
